You Want A Book Editor But It Is Far Too Expensive For You

You know you should hire a book editor, but it costs a lot of money

If you are a new author, you have probably read a lot of online advice about why you should hire an editor once you have written your book.

It is sound advice too, and in a perfect world, all new authors would want to engage professional editors.

If you are fortunate enough to have signed with a traditional publishing house, your manuscript will receive professional editing.

A publishing deal usually includes developmental editing, copy editing and line editing.

However, for most authors nowadays, the dream of getting a deal with one of the major publishers is just that. A dream.

Self-publishing is now the most common means of fulfilling the goal of becoming a published author.

However, without any kind of editing, and rushing to publish a book, it can turn into a nightmare of awful reviews and abysmal sales.

Logically, the solution for self-publishing authors is to look for book editing services to help avoid publishing a book full of typos, spelling and grammar errors and plot faults.

How much does it cost to hire an editor?

Based on estimates by the Editorial Freelancers Association, here are some very rough approximations of what you might expect to pay a professional editing service for editors who work in book editing.

As an example, let’s take a novel of between 65,000 to 75,000 words.

1. Developmental editor

At an hourly rate of between $45.00 to $55.00, the cost would be in the range of $5,000.00 to $6,000.00.

2. Basic copy editor

An hourly rate of between $30.00 to $40.00, the cost would be in the range of $2,000.00 to $3,000.00.

The price for heavy copyediting is estimated at almost the same as for developmental editing.

3. Proofreading

An hourly rate of between $30.00 to $35.00, the cost would be in the range of $2,000.00 to $2,500.00.

In total, the cost estimate for these three editing services would total around $9,000.00 at a minimum.

This is only a very rough rule of thumb guide.

If you want an accurate quote, you should contact an editor and send a sample of your book so they can give you a firm offer.

There’s just no way I can afford to pay that much!

Let’s get real now.

I know and you know that very few authors can afford to pay thousands of dollars for professional book editing.

But every author knows that you need to edit books meticulously before you can publish. But the cost of professional developmental editors and copy editors is way beyond the reach of most.

So how can you bridge the Catch 22 gap between your modest budget to produce your book, and the expectation of readers to buy a very high-quality book that is free of errors and typos?

Well, there is a way, but it is certainly not perfect. Well, what is perfect now anyway?

It will require a modest investment and lots of hours of work for you.

You need to use tools, and make friends

You can spend your money, or you can spend your time to edit your book. Your choice.

For most authors, they have more time than money, so the answer is obvious.

So let’s get you started on spending your time, wisely.

1. You absolutely need beta readers

It’s tough finding beta readers, but it is by far the best way to get feedback on your book’s plot and also your use of grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Think of them as your free quality control team. The more of them you have, the more input you will get back.

Every one of them will give you information that you need to make corrections and improvements to your manuscript.

I get a lot of authors asking me where they can find beta readers. Well, there is no magic fountain where you can wish them on to your book.

However, there is an easy way. Offer to become a beta reader.

What? Why?

Because you will have little to do while you wait to connect with new beta readers, and even when you do, you will be waiting quite a while for their feedback. So you have plenty of time to spend.

But the big benefit is that by offering to become a beta reader, you will get a lot of responses, and BOOM, you now have a list of potential new beta readers streaming to your door.

The other huge benefit is that by beta reading for other authors you will learn from what they write and the mistakes they make. You can then apply this knowledge to your book.

Remember, you are spending your time, which is saving your money. So spend big!

2. A premium grammar checker is a must, and cheap

When compared to the cost of a copy editor or line editor, an online grammar and spell checker is inexpensive.

Sure, it will never replace a qualified editor, but for the price, it can do a lot to help you improve the quality of your manuscript.

There are many online checkers but in my own experience, there is only one that does everything I need when working with a long manuscript.

I have used Grammarly for over three years, and while it is certainly not cheap or free, it has become indispensable for me now.

Unlike many other tools, Grammarly has different subscription choices, which can make it very economical. I have a yearly subscription because I use it all the time.

But if you only want to use it for the time you are preparing your book, you can pay for a month by month subscription for as long as you need it.

At around $11.50 per month, it sounds a lot more attractive than $9,000.00 for an editor!

The best feature for me is that Grammarly gives me sensible and actionable suggestions while I am editing.

It can suggest using an active sentence structure, different pronouns to avoid confusion and best of all, words that are repeated with better synonyms choices.

3. Beg, borrow or steal a proofreader

Find one person who you know is a whiz at grammar. Do a stocktake of all your friends and family, online contacts or on social media. Perhaps an English teacher from your school days?

You need to find that one person to do the very last important step before publishing. Someone with an eagle eye for detail and who will check your manuscript, line by line and word by word, and letter by letter.

Conclusion

You have two real choices.

You can spend your money, or can spend your time.

But you have no choice in the fact that your book will need editing before you can hope to publish a quality book.